Abstract

This article focuses on the lived experiences of femme identity. I use the history of femme, growing out of a specifically lesbian context wherein femininity is queered through its refusal of heterosexual consumption to approach the broader messiness between femme-ininity and normative femininity. I draw on feminist and queer analytics, femme theory, and autotheory to argue that femme-ininity is always liminal and may be better understood not as a stable gendered practice reliant upon queerness for legitimation but as a non-fixed gendered practice that is femme on its own terms. Through an examination of my firsthand experiences of femme-ininity I demonstrate the ways that dominant conceptions of femme-ininity do not necessarily reflect my own experiences as a femme, particularly due to the legitimating force others (e.g. romantic partners) play in achieving femme-ininity. I advance a revised definition of femme-ininity that focuses primarily on intentional enjoyment of feminine embodiment rather than strictly sexuality in order to re-center femme practitioners themselves. Using athletic case studies to test this definition, I demonstrate that the juxtaposition between heteropatriarchal resistance and heteropatriarchal compliance used to frame comparisons between femme-ininity and normative femininity is less representative of femme experience than the recognition that femme gender transgressions coexist alongside internalized oppressions.

摘要

本文重点介绍女性身份的生活经历。我使用女性的历史，这种女性的成长是在一个特别的女同性恋环境中进行的，其中女性化是通过拒绝异性恋消费来达到女性化和规范女性化之间更广泛的混乱。我利用女性主义和酷儿分析法，女性理论和自动理论来论证，女性有限性始终是有限的，可能更好地理解为不依赖于同性恋的合法性的稳定性别实践，而是女性的非固定性别实践。它自己的条款。通过检查我对女性的第一手经历，我证明了女性主导的观念不一定能反映出我作为女性的经历，尤其是由于他人的合法力量（例如 浪漫伴侣）发挥女性魅力。我提出了修改后的女性定义，该定义主要侧重于有意享受女性化身，而不是严格的性行为，以使女性从业者重新定位。通过运动案例研究来检验这一定义，我证明了用来形容女性气质和规范女性气质的异性家长制抵抗与异性家长制顺从性的并置并不能代表女性经验，而不是承认女性性别犯罪与内在压迫共存。